Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Hamas paraglider crashes into high-voltage electric power line and bursts into flames.
Fact
The video was found to be in circulation online for the past three months, and is unrelated to the recent Hamas attack on Israel.
A 21-second short video showing a paraglider crashing into a high-voltage electric wire and bursting into flames within moments is going viral on social media with users claiming that it showed the fate of a Hamas militant who attempted to airdrop into Israel.
One such post, shared by Nishant Taliyan can be viewed here.| Archive link
This video has been shared by many other users on X with the same claim. Those posts can be viewed by clicking here, here and here.
Several Facebook users have also shared the video with similar claims. The post can be viewed here.
Hamas’ Surprise Attack On Israel
On October 7, Hamas employed various modes of transportation in its surprise terrorist attack on Israel, including paragliders, motorcycles, pickup trucks, and speed boats, as reported by The Times of India and other news outlets.
Fact Check / Verification
In order to ascertain the facts behind the viral video, we conducted keyword search which lead us to a YouTube post carrying the viral video. The video was published on June 18, 2023 with the title “paraglider hit high-voltage transmission lines and caused fire.” The video’s description doesn’t specify its location or date of occurrence.
On further research using keyword search, we found video reports published in Korean. One such report, with the headline “제주서 패러글라이딩하던 60대 고압전선 걸려 사망 / 연합뉴스TV”, was published on June 16, 2023. The English translation read- A man in his 60s died after getting caught in a high-voltage wire while paragliding in Jeju / Yonhap News TV). The posts can be viewed by clicking here. Video reports by other news outlets can be seen here.
The report revealed that the incident took place on June 16, 2023, near the beach of Celsius, a town in Seogupo City, Jeju. One of the tourists, who was in his 60s, was caught in the winds when paragliding, and crashed into high-voltage wires located about 16 m high, and suffered an electric shock of about 22900 V.
Many other media houses had also published similar reports. They can be seen here, here and here.
Thus, we find that the video originates from Korea, not Israel, and the individual paragliding is a tourist in Korea, not a Hamas militant. The date of the video is June 17, 2023, and predates the October 7 Hamas attack.
Conclusion
Our investigation confirms that the viral video claiming to show Hamas Militant with a Hamas paraglider crashing into high tension power lines and catching fire is actually from Korea and has been available on the internet since June this year. The video has no link to the recent Israel-Palestine conflict and Hamas.
Result: False
Our Sources:
1. Youtube post published by Car-Accident-Bro, dated June 18, 2023
2. Youtube post published by 연합뉴스TV, dated June 16, 2023
3. Report published by The Times of India, dated 8 Oct, 2023
4. Report published by Hindustan Times, dated 8 Oct, 2023
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Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
